Monday, March 28, 2016

Fixed: Starter replacement on a 2007 Honda Civic 1.8

Changed the starter on a 2007 Honda Civic 1.8 a couple of weekends ago.

Removal should be straightforward. It wasn't. This car fought me every single step of the way. Not fun at all.
This job is under the car.

Put the car on Ramps or Jackstands and chock the rear wheels.

Disconnect the negative battery cable.

Remove the Exhaust connector. There are two 12mm bolts in the front and 3 14mm bolts in the rear. These came out surprisingly easy.

Remove the the three bolts holding the intake manifold support bracket on

Remove the Two bolts holding the starter in place.

Remove the clip and zip-tie holding the wires.

Remove the 2 wires from the starter. The big one is held on by a 13mm nut. The little one has a push-and-remove clip.

Remove and replace the starter. There are two bolts, the top one has an extended head to make it easier.

Tools:

Socket to fit battery cable

10,12,13,14 mm sockets, ratchet, breaker bar, several socket extensions, and a universal joint. I used 3/8" drive, which was reasonable.

A strong air ratchet would have made this job easier.

Car ramps

Log... er "Tire Chock"

Expendables/shop supplies

Anti-sieze for exhaust bolts

Vaseline to corrosion protect battery cables

1 zip tie to hold wires in place like stock

10mm socket that disappeared irretrievably into the aether when I dropped it

Tips I wish I'd known....Reach up through the hump hole where the exhaust connector runs to unclip the wires, and unclip one more than you need. That gives you slack to remove the starter easier.

Use several socket extensions to reach the starter bolts from the passenger side wheel well.

This car has a lock on the radio and you have to put in a code to make it work again after you disconnect the battery. If you have a memory saver, use it.

Don't drop the starter on your face.

Pull the car all the way into the garage so you can close the door when it starts snowing.

Gingerly tighten the electrical connector on the solenoid. The solenoid is plastic and will snap right off. I don't think I ogre-tightened it, but the broken plastic widget looks mighty incriminating.

One last thing, and this might just be me being a desk-dwelling weakling. The starter bolts are spec'd at 33 foot pounds. Either mine were seized in place or a lot tighter than this. I had an <expletive> of a time getting them off.